221AN:/ Okay, so first off, I'm going to skip all the apologies for not updating sooner. You all know how sorry I am that I happen to be so busy this year. :/ Keep in mind, I know the starting is incredibly vague, what with all the italicized "he's" I use, but everything I do is completely essential to keep the element of the unknown in the story.
On the positive side, I've got an awesome new beta for this story. Her name's Bella Shanice Cullen, so give her a big welcome, as she's the one who's probably going to be helping maintain your sanity when it comes to reading my horrible grammar and run on sentences.
Lastly, the review preview I sent everyone (that is, if you still remember it) was removed from this chapter and will be put in the next, just because I divided the chapter into two. Sorry. ^^
Chapter 14: Preparations
Previously: '"Don't worry, Bella," he said softly. "Everything will be okay, I will make sure of that. Just you wait," he promised, still rubbing my back. If only that were true…'
Unknown POV
Scowling, he thundered through the Olympic forest furiously. Clearly, his plan had completely failed. He was still there with her. He had tried to get her to leave him instead, by acting like the polar opposite he normally is, while still trying to convince her. After failing at that, he painfully tried to distance himself (and subconsciously Edward, of course) from her, but even that did not work! During this time, he never expected to actually start caring for her.
"Damn it!" he cursed, punching a tree. He stared, thoughtfully for a moment, at the dent he had created in the tall evergreen tree. In the end, the only thing he had succeeded in doing was hurting her even more. At this point, that was certainly the last thing he wanted to do.
Well, there was now one thing that he had in common with Edward…
EPOV
I sat down on the clean, white sofa in the living room, deep in thought. I stared blankly out the clear glass wall, into the deep, eerie green glow of the woods, searching for some sort of movement. Surely, he couldn't really be gone, could he? He did have a conscience, I was sure of it.
After all, when he was conversing with Bella, I could hear in his mind the regret that was stacked up like books. Any vampire within a ten mile radius could hear the agony in his voice. He'd come back, wouldn't he?
EDWARD!
Alice's mental voice screeched at me before she stomped inside. She took a seat in the Lazy Boy recliner across from me, whatever book she had previously been reading now closed and in her hand.
"I can't believe you did that! No, correction, I can't believe you allowed him to do that!" she hissed out. "You're such an idiot!"
She stood up from her chair and paced the living room floor while I hung my head in shame(or whatever emotion Edward was feeling at that moment). She muttered over a dozen insults at me, some not even in English. Alice stopped for a minute and looked up.
"You know, you're not even a monster, you're a sadist." she growled out.
I nodded darkly, still looking at the floor. I saw in her head as she launched the heavy book at me. I didn't bother to catch it before it hit me in the face.
"Have I mentioned how much of an idiot you are?" she snarled furiously, somehow sarcastically.
"So I've been told…" I muttered bitterly, my head still hanging low.
"Look at me!" she screeched out again, causing me to look up. Alice was glaring at me like she had never glared at me before, looking more animalistic than ever. "You had better fix this mess you've put yourself and Bella in." I opened my mouth to retort, but Alice cut me off angrily. "Listen, I don't care what you have to go through or do. Fix it." I watched as she turned around and stomped out the back door, her words echoing in my mind.
Fix it.
BPOV
The next morning I woke up on the Cullens' plush, white couch, groggy and disgruntled. The bright gray light of the overcast sky shone through the over-sized window, caused by the bright yellow sun hidden by the clouds. The brightness of the sky was unusual to me, usually I woke up earlier. With that thought, I snapped my head up immediately.
School!
I stumbled up and out onto the floor with a giant thud. Regaining my balance, I checked out the clock, which was expertly hung on the Cullens' East wall. To my utter dismay, the clock read 10:30 AM.
"Shoot!" I cursed out. "I'm late for school! The truancy officers…" muttering, I stumbled around, ripping off the sheet that was still wrapped around my body, most likely the reason I had fell in the first place.
"Bella?"
I looked up, noticing Ron for the first time, standing in the archway to the kitchen. He wore an amused grin on his face, and in his hands was a tray of what looked to be bacon, eggs and a glass of orange juice. He walked closer to me and placed the tray on the nearby coffee table.
"Ron, how could you let me sleep in!? We're late for school! Oh gosh, Charlie, he's gonna freak!" I screeched, frantically trying to get myself together.
"Bella, it's the weekend. Did you seem to forget that?" he asked sarcastically, "Relax, Bella. Alice left a note for Charlie, saying that you were sleeping over. No harm done."
Right. Except for the heart attack I almost had…
"Oh," I breathed. "Okay." Relieved, I sat back down on the couch and continued to interrogate Ron. "How long were you standing there?"
Ron's smirk grew, and he quirked an eyebrow. "Long enough," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sorry about the blanket," he said, picking it up and draping it over his arm. "I only put it on you because you looked cold, I didn't mean for it to be a death trap," he snickered.
Ignoring the tease, I got up from the couch and wrapped my arm's around Ron's waist. "Thank you," I murmured against his chest. When he looked down at me confusedly, I elaborated. "I mean, for caring about me this whole time. Here I am, a complete stranger, and you've helped me all along. I'm not worth it."
Ron opened his mouth to reply, but I silenced him by placing my finger on his mouth.
"Why didn't you …hunt-" I stuttered over the word, and Ron flinched, "-me that night? Why did you help me? I was a complete stranger, after all."
Ron looked down at me, and brushed his thumb along my cheek. "It was an instinct to protect you," he lied easily. Though I noticed the lie, I made no comment or move to acknowledge it was a lie.
"And you are worth it. Every struggle or battle is worth it, as long as it means I get to spend time with you, just to see your beautiful smile, or hear you laugh. Never doubt it Bella, never. When I saw you in that alley, I could see it in your eyes. I saw that you were broken," he said the word bitterly, "and that you needed to be healed. You needed someone, as much as I did. I may not deserve it, but you do. You deserve someone."
Whimpering, I buried my face in his chest. "You sound so much like he does…or, at least, how he used to sound. And you care for me like he used to…" I murmured.
Ron stiffened for a second before he tightened his arms around me. "Oh Bella…" he whispered painfully before burying his face in my hair.
"It's unfair how looks can be so deceiving…" he said sadly, looking at me once more, stroking my hair.
Strangely, I woke up, again. This time, though, Ron's cold, stiff arms were wrapped around me. The grumbling of my stomach alerted me to my hunger, also meaning it must have been what woke me up. Rolling over to the side, I sat up in Ron's lap and shot him a look that clearly stated What the hell?!
He looked down at me and chuckled. "You fell asleep again," he explained. I launched myself off of his lap and stood up, my hands on my hips.
"No, really?! I didn't realize that!" I muttered sarcastically. Ron just shrugged before standing up and walking over to me.
"You looked like you needed the extra sleep," he said, putting his chin on my head. "But now it's time you get some lunch." My stomach growled, emphasizing his point. Laughing, he hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me to the kitchen.
"Hey!" I laughed out, pointlessly pounding his back.
"Well, not exactly the thank you I was looking for," he said with a laugh, placing me down in front of the kitchen table. I stuck my tongue out at him in a very immature response.
Shaking his head, Ron walked over to the cupboards, revealing fully stocked shelves of food. "Ta-Da!" he said mockingly, throwing his hands in the air. "Alice went shopping last night and got all your favourite foods," he finished just as Alice pranced through the back door.
"You're welcome!" she exclaimed before I had a chance to say anything. "So, what's on the menu for today? Grilled cheese? Salad? Tuna? Eggs? Chicken? Egg salad?" she mused enthusiastically, whizzing through the cupboards, leaving destruction in her path. "Or, better yet, forget about food, what about the schedule for today?" Alice paused, sitting on the counter with a pack of sliced cheese in her hand and a wide grin on her face.
"How about moping, or sleeping the day away?" I muttered quietly. Alice tutted disapprovingly and Ron sighed sadly.
"You know, Bella," Alice stated with a suspiciously wry grin on her face. "Life's too short to mope around…" Jumping off the counter, she manoeuvred her way around Ron, skipping next to me. "You're going to be so busy you won't have the time to even think about moping!"
Disbelievingly I rose my eyebrows. There's not much to do in Forks as it is… How in the world is Alice going to fill my schedule?
Alice put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Oh, stop looking at me like that! There's plenty to do in Forks, you just haven't been looking hard enough!" she muttered as if she read my mind.
Speaking of mind readers…
"Hey! Stop thinking like that! I can tell by the expression on your face every time you end up thinking about him!" she waved her hands in front of my face, jumping up and down. She smiled when she saw that she had my attention. "Now, back to your schedule… How about we-"
"Forget about the damn schedule, Alice, why don't we focus on getting her something to eat before she passes out from starvation." Ron muttered, irritated, coming in between Alice and I.
Thank you, Ron…
Alice sighed, disappointed, before glaring at Ron. "Whatever you say, Mr. Annoying…" she muttered before leaving the kitchen.
Ignoring her, Ron turned to me, smiling. "Well, what'll it be?" he asked.
"Can you even cook? When was the last time you ate, anyways?" I asked, eyeing him warily. Ron bent his head back and guffawed at my reaction.
"I may not eat, but I still know what the food is supposed to look and smell like. Oh, and on boring nights when you're alone on the couch with nothing else to do, Food Network and Thirty Minute Meals work wonders. As to your last question, I do not feel compelled to answer that…" he stuck his chin up mockingly before pouting. "Why, do you not trust me, Isabella?" he asked pitifully.
I snorted, quite an unfeminine sound for a girl, before walking over to Ron and giving him a hug. "Well now, of course I trust you, Ronald." I spoke as if I was talking to a five year old. He lifted me up and sat me on the counter.
"How about grilled cheese, then?" Ron asked. I nodded in response. "Grilled cheese it is!" he excitedly yet strangely exclaimed, clasping his hands together before whirling around, pulling out the ingredients. He sniffed the cheese slices before grimacing. "Regardless, I still don't understand how you mortals can eat this stuff, what with the fumes of the chemicals that come off of it. Then again…" he whirled around, grinning slyly. "Perhaps your noses are not strong enough to smell the real ingredients…"
I watched him as he cooked the sandwich, the only sound coming out of him was the humming noise he was making. "Ron?" I asked quietly.
Once again he turned around, not needing to watch the sandwich. He could probably smell or hear it when it was done… "Um-hm?"
"Why are you so happy now all the time?" I asked. "Not that I don't like it when you're happy…" I backtracked, "It's just, when you came here, you were so sad, well, depressed is more like it."
Ron frowned and furrowed his eyebrows for a second, deliberating. Not even a minute had passed before the smile was back on his face, and he was walking toward me. "Well, before, I was always lonely, even when I was crowded by family members, that I guess I had just gotten used to it. But now… I found you." he stopped for a minute, grinning as if remembering an inside joke. "And you make me happy." he finished softly, hugging me with one hand. He pulled away and handed me the sandwich, which he must've pulled off without me seeing. "I don't think I could survive losing someone else."
After lunch, Ron and I spent the afternoon in the living room, watching television. Of course, we did not receive much peace while doing so, as Alice came barreling through the living room doorway with a wide grin on her face. Ron and I groaned simultaneously.
"Guess what, guess what, GUESS WHAT?" she yelled happily.
"Alice, you don't have to yell, we're right here," Ron groaned, covering his ears with his hands. Alice just stuck her tongue out at him and put her hands on her hips, leaning over the arm of the couch.
"Anyways," she sighed exasperatingly, "I went shopping today-"
"Wow, what a surprise," I muttered sarcastically, cutting her off. She glared at both Ron and I before continuing.
"And I came across this flyer, which is advertising one of your favourite events, Bella!" Alice bent down until her face was right above mine, grinning evilly, showing she had something up her sleeve. Ron growled for some reason.
"You see, Bella, you; me; and …him," she pointed a scathing finger in Ron's direction, "are going… to the Winter Semi-Formal" she stage-whispered, grinning even wider.
Gosh, if she smiled any wider her face would crack…
"I'll be going with Jasper, as he'll be coming down that week," she said dreamily, "And you'll be Ron's date."
"What?!" Ron and I both shouted, standing up. Alice rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on! You two know you're perfect for each other! You guys even talk in sync with one another!"
"No, we don't!" Ron and I shouted together. Alice grinned smugly while I shook my head and took a step away from Ron.
"Alice, I've already had that human experience," I reasoned. Ron stiffened for a minute before relaxing. Plus, I'm not ready…
"I don't think she's ready for something like that, Alice." Ron whispered softly.
Maybe Alice is right… But, getting close to people means becoming vulnerable to the possibility of losing them, and I can't live through that…
Whimpering, I sat cross legged on the floor as memories hit me. Cold arms gently grasped my forearms, hoisting me up and hugging me from behind.
"She's not ready." Ron's voice rang out firmly, with a sad undertone behind it. "Just…leave her be, Alice. Please."
Alice nodded sadly before turning around and loping upstairs. Ron sat down on the couch, and I put my hand on his cheek. "I'm okay now, I promise." I grinned, "The suggestion just …took me by surprise."
"I think…" I paused for a minute, gaining the confidence to say what I'm about to say, "I think that maybe we could take the chance. You know, going to semi wouldn't hurt…"
Alice came running down the stairs and stopped at the end of the couch, anticipating something. "Really? You mean it?" she asked hopefully, her eyes bright. "Wait, you do mean it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alice leaned over, hugging me tightly. "We've got two weeks until semi! I've already got your dress, and Ron's tux. Ooh, I can't wait! I'd better go call Jasper…" Alice grinned before running off.
"Well, congratulations, Bella, you've made Alice's day." Ron said warmly, wrapping his arm around me.
AN: Well, that's the end. *Crosses fingers* How did you like it? I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing, it was written in parts spread out through SEVEN MONTHS, so it was a tad bit tough to keep up with continuity. *Huffs* I'll try and hurry up this time with chapter 15... I can promise that the next update will not take 7 months. :P As an ending note, this chapter's story recommendation is 'And She Loved Me' by jessica499499. Anywho, please review!